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Yong Teck Lee:
"This is my promise to you, that our struggle continues and I will
always be by your side"...."Trust and integrity of the leaders are
fundamental to the future of a country or a government or, in our case,
SAPP as a serious political party of the future"

Economic reasons over Health and
Environmental concerns

Kota
Kinabalu (Dec 24, 2008): Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) former
deputy president, Datuk Philip Yong Chiew Lip, today told Tenaga
National Berhad (TNB) that its plan to go ahead with the coal-fired
power plant in Sandakan will somehow create some environmental and
pollution problems to the people of Sandakan.

"I cannot understand
why they (TNB) are not considering other options which are
environmentally friendly e.g. gas or others." added Yong.

"I read today's
Chinese newspapers which quoted the Minister of Tourism &
Environmental Development who was shocked that local brick factories
are using coal for their furnaces. The minister must be implying
that coal burning is highly polluting.

SAPP has issued few
press statements against the coal-fired power plant but the local
state assemblymen (YBs) and ministers tried to sell this plan to the
Sandakan people. However, the people strongly objected to their
plan.

Referring to local
New Sabah Times as follows....

TNB: Coal-fired power plant vital for east coast

Kota Kinabalu (Dec 24, 2008): Tenaga National Berhad (TNB) is going ahead with its
plan to move the cancelled coal-fired power plant project in Silam,
Lahad Datu to a new site in Sandakan.

Project director Ahmad Faraid Yahya stressed that the project would
benefit the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) which is the
government's initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate
income levels in the state.

"To achieve the desired results in SDC, infrastructure development
is imperative. For this reason, the east coast of Sabah must have a
steady and stable supply of electricity.

"The development of the east coast will bring about a balanced
development. Therefore, the setting up of the 300MW power plant in
Sandakan is required and will bring about several socio-economic
benefits to Sabahans," he said.

Ahmad also said in terms of business and employment opportunities,
more than RM300 million worth of contracts would be sub-contracted
to local companies while thousands of skilled or unskilled jobs
would be created, either directly or indirectly.

An estimated 3,000 workers would be required during the construction
of the plant.

And, when operational, the plant would provide around 200 permanent
jobs to Sabahans and there would also be a multiplier effect in the
service industries as well as other sectors like transportation and
housing, he told reporters during a media briefing at Sutera Harbour
Resort & Spa here yesterday.

The power plant, he added, would be a catalyst for economic growth
of the industrial zone to be set up in Sandakan.

"The coal-fired power plant will be built by Lahad Datu Energy (LDE)
Sdn Bhd in which state-owned companies will have 35 per cent stake
as proposed," Ahmad said.

According to him, the project was expected to bring about technology
transfer to Sabah, given that its reliable power and availability
would enable industries to flourish.

"In essence, it would be a boost to investor confidence," he said.

Meanwhile, LDE senior manager and coal specialist Abu Bakar Ahmad
said at present, about 30 percent of the east coast power demand was
supported daily by west coast generators.

"This exposes the east coast to the risk of a serious major blackout
in the event of an interconnection failure.

"According to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), there is a pressing
need for a base load power plant in the east coast to reinforce
generation and supply network to improve the stability of the east
and west grid interconnection," he said.

Abu Bakar said a prolonged delay in the commissioning of the
proposed plant would expose the area to more frequent blackouts
because SESB would still have to depend on the unreliable aging
diesel plants and importation of power from the west coast to meet
the demand in the east coast.

And, he also said the coal-fired power plant would adopt a clean
coal technology using proven techniques and designs used in
developed countries.

It would comply with stringent Department of Environment (DOE)
requirement, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which is
comparable or better than the world standard.

The power plant would be connected to the SESB Grid through a new
275KV transmission line to be constructed as part of the project.

"LDE is currently carrying out a detailed EIA study in collaboration
with UKM and UMS at the alternative site. In addition, we are also
committed to an environmental management programme which will be
closely monitored by the DOE in order to safeguard the natural
wildlife habitats and the surroundings," he said.

Abu Bakar also said the proposed site would be at the POIC Sandakan
which is managed by Sawit Kinabalu and is located on a reclaimed
land near to the Seguntor River.

The site has sufficient availability of sea water for turbine
cooling and FGD operation.

There are already six coal-fired power plants – four in the
peninsula and two in Sarawak – strictly adhering to the DOE rules
and regulations and successfully generating electricity without any
adverse impact to the environment.

"A good example is the TNB plant in Kapar, Selangor which was built
in 1988. It has attracted thousands of migratory shorebirds which
fly over 24,000 km every year to escape the northern winter," he
said.

SAPP is against dirty coal ...more

Coal's Assault on Human Health
Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four
of the five leading causes of mortality in the U.S.: heart disease,
cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. This conclusion
emerges from our reassessment of the widely recognized health threats from
coal. Each step of the coal lifecycle-mining, transportation, washing,
combustion, and disposing of post combustion wastes-impacts human health.
Coal combustion in particular contributes to diseases affecting large
portions of the U.S. population, including asthma, lung cancer, heart
disease, and stroke, compounding the major public health challenges of our
time. It interferes with lung development, increases the risk of heart
attacks, and compromises intellectual capacity.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are indicated as possible mechanisms in
the exacerbation and development of many of the diseases under review. In
addition, the report addresses another, less widely recognized health
threat from coal: the contribution of coal combustion to global warming,
and the current and predicted health effects of global warming...more

Stop the Coal-fired Power Plant in Sandakan....

Destruction of famous tourist attraction sites

Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre

Kinabatangan Ramsar Site, Sukau Resorts

Island Resorts off Sandakan, Selingan Turtle
Island...

SAPP
Policies

SAPP's 17 point Manifesto - Sabah deserves better in
terms of more equitable distribution of opportunities, in
social, economic and infrastructural development and a
better quality of life. [BM][Chinese]